Children of Wrath
by Hyde'sStepphenwolfe
Summary: War makes murderers of us all. Or is that hate? At the height of a devastating conflict between humans and Faunus, an elite, Atlesian military officer and a revolutionary warrior of the Faunus are thrust into each other's lives. Can a little mercy and compassion help soften a stone heart or are the notions of a conditioned and war-ravaged mind too much to overcome?
1. Blood In the Streets

**Disclaimer: RWBY is not mine. I don't own it.**

 **AN: Hello, all. Hyde here. Back in action. Hoping there's someone out there willing to read this. =D**

* * *

 _There is nothing new under the sun._

 _All that was will be again. What is to come already was. As they say, the players and the stage may change but the game stays the same. 1000 years ago, there was war. 1000 years from now there will be war. It is human nature—to repeat the follies of the past over and over again until the existence of man ceases completely._

 _People claim humankind learns from past mistakes. Yet, here we are standing on the precipice of another war. One that threatens to be bloodier, more violent and far more devastating than any other before it._

 _The war to end all wars._

 _The innocent people tremble, fearful for their lives and fearful of an uncertain future, while their leaders sit on their thrones twiddling their thumbs. The pain and bloodshed is hardly ever their own. These leaders (dictators, more like it) claim they hate it. War, that is. Yet, their ability to start wars is tremendous. One moment everything is fine, and the next there are planes and combat ships on the horizon; the deafening roar and the quaking of the earth as the armies march._

 _Promises are always made. To their people. To their children; they say things will change, that they will be different. Better. But they never change. 1000 years from now a mother and a father will make the exact same promise to their children our mothers and fathers made to us—these descendants of the war-mongers who promised peace but instead brought suffering and death._

 _Guess what? Even then, things will not change. They will not change because we cannot learn, and if we cannot learn, then we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes._

 _Things cannot change. They WILL NOT change. Not until mankind changes its mind, attitude and heart._

 _Easier said than done…_

The young woman stares blankly at the provoking words written in a small, leather notebook. The ink is faded, the pages yellowed and the leather cracked, weather by the years and constant handling. A name is inscribed on the cover. Beautiful, gold lettering that swoops and swirls elegantly from side to side.

Her mother's name.

She laughs. The irony of the thing is not lost on her. Her mother was one of the people who condemned those who used violence as a tool. In the end, she was one of the main expediters of the latest war, that of humankind versus Faunus kind.

They both really were a sad lot.

"Think you'll come through this time?,"

A gruff voice tears through her thoughts. It belongs to a hypocrite, a man who cried indignantly at atrocities committed against the Faunus, then turns around and does the exact same thing to humans. He used to be her friend, a trusted ally. Now he's a bloodthirsty warlord in the making who gets off on being feared.

But she doesn't fear him. Maybe that's a problem.

"I'll come through," She says, her voice steady. She didn't wait for him to respond. She pivots on her heel and turns away, daring to give her back to a man she knows has the blood of many, too many, to count.

Outside the warehouse, she draws a deep breath and let's herself deflate. The back of her shoulders scream with tension and her neck is stiff.

It's a quiet night. Hardly any noise save for the croaking of frogs in the jungle and the maddeningly constant low buzz of insects. It's late, well past two in the morning. Even the Atlesian base has gone dark, and there is very little movement by the night shift. The air is still and humid and heavy, as if there's a storm forming in the atmosphere. On the island of Menagerie where the weather is as unpredictable as the nature of its inhabitants, there may very well be a typhoon at their doorstep come the morning. For now, however, it's peaceful.

She knows better than to trust it.

Several minutes later, a train's whistle shrieks, breaking the silence of the night. It's an Atlesian Military supply train carrying weapons, food, medicine and everyday essentials. It's due to arrive in forty minutes.

She watches a column of gray smoke rise against the starry night sky. It's practically a homing-beacon. The smoke is leaving a trail as the train nears its destination and starts to slow down.

It's time to move.

"Here I go, putting out fires with gasoline," She mutters to herself, slithering into the shadows.

* * *

Blood…

It was everywhere—the streets were dotted with puddles ankle deep of it. One could literally bathe in it. As Atlesian soldiers attempted to gather themselves in formation, their once pristine, white pant-legs and boots turned crimson as they sloshed through the gore. The whole damn thing—it was a massacre.

As gruesome as the blood was, it wasn't the worst of it. There were several bodies riddled with so many bullet holes it was surprising they were in one piece. The ghastly faces of the dead were wide-eyed, mouths agape in frozen expressions of terror and pain. And there was the stench—foul and utterly repulsive. It permeated the already stifling air, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Colonel Yang Xiao Long of the Atlesian Knights Elite Forces stared at the macabre scene in front of her. Rage and disgust roiled her stomach. There was a hardness around her eyes and mouth she could _feel_ stiffening her face.

The heat was already unbearable, the humidity causing her uniform jacket to stick to her skin. Flies buzzed around her head, adding to the maddening cacophony of the muttering crowd gathering nearby. It consisted mostly of Faunus, and from the looks of it, they weren't planning to let her do her job in peace.

Yang sighed. She felt exhausted already.

The day had only begun.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a swipe of her arm, then fixed her eyes on the group of soldiers in front of her. Six altogether.

"What happened here?" She demanded.

A wave of tension rippled through the soldiers standing at attention. Nervous glances were exchanged. However, no one spoke up. Yang's lips pressed into a hard line. Irritation darkened her expression.

Behind her, some Faunus in the crowd began mumbling louder. They kept sending nasty looks in her soldiers' direction; they didn't bother to be subtle about it. Yang felt it in the air—their desire for the soldiers' blood. It was thick and heavy, carrying a tangible weight. She imagined the tension in the area like the pressure inside a crockpot, and the lid was about to get blown off.

She turned and leveled a look at one soldier in particular, the highest ranking of the bunch. The redhead couldn't be older than 22. She was so very obviously fresh from the academy. She looked immaculate. And scared shitless.

Not for the first time, Yang questioned what the hell the Atlesian brass was thinking; were they really so desperate for bodies they were willing to throw babies into the shit storm?

She gave her head a shake.

"Well, second lieutenant?"

The Lt. stepped forward and snapped a smart salute. Her alarmed, green eyes stared straight ahead, unwilling to meet Yang's eye.

"Ma'am! There was an altercation between a family of Faunus and my men. My men were forced to open fire."

The urge to snap at the redhead was insurmountable. "Well no shit," Yang muttered under her breath, loud enough for only the redhead to hear.

At least she had the decency to look embarrassed.

"My apologies, ma'am."

"What's your name?" Yang asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos, ma'am."

Yang's head snapped to the side. She peered over her shoulder. The crowd of Faunus was growing.

The air teemed with unrest. Tensions between the Atlesian troops and the Faunus were reaching the breaking point. Yang feared the worst—an island wide riot.

Yang sensed the Faunus coming closer. She spun around, no longer comfortable enough to keep her back to them. She shot them all her best no-bullshit glare.

"This is Atlesian Military business! Do not interfere with my investigation, civilians!" She barked, her voice loud, clear and commanding.

"Your subordinates indiscriminately killing our people is our business!" A male Faunus snarled, inciting the crowd. They sneered and jeered in her direction.

"I will get to the bottom of this. Disperse at once!"

"There's nothing to investigate!" The same Faunus roared, his dark eyes burning with righteous anger. He stabbed a finger at her soldiers. "They opened fire on a family! There were children! Children, for fuck's sake!"

Yang stiffened, hands curling into fists at her sides. "What happened, Nikos?"

"A family of Faunus came off the boat. One of the women was pregnant. We carried out Law F-150H, but the patriarch attacked Private First Class Black. A scuffle ensued between them. Other male members of the Faunus family jumped in to help the patriarch, outnumbering PFC Black. Our soldiers attempted to him help.

"It all happened so fast after that. The next thing I knew, a gunfight broke out. I—I tried to put a stop to it," She added lamely, chin tipping down in shame. "I was too late."

Yang hissed at the soldiers' incompetency. They screwed up. Bad. Like unbelievably fucking bad.

She turned her ire on PFC Mercury Black. He had a reputation for being a trouble-maker. Yang lost count of the times she'd found him at the center of a chaotic situation. There were usually Faunus involved, too. His hate for them was legendary among his comrades. It almost rivaled her own.

The only difference between them was that she had the authority to do as she pleased, and the brains to be subtle about it.

"Mercury," Yang snarled, her disdain for him evident in her sneer. "Explain yourself."

Mercury scowled. "General Schnee said execution of Law F-150H is to be handled at the arresting officer's discretion." He shrugged. "I handled it."

Yang wished so desperately to wipe the smug look off his infuriating face, but there would be time for disciplinary action later. At the moment, she had to figure out a way to prevent a full blown riot. It wouldn't be easy. Mercury admitted to initiating the slaughter of an entire family of Faunus. Out in public, nonetheless.

"You're a fucking idiot, Black." Yang had a sinking feeling in her gut. Things could take a very nasty turn if she wasn't careful. "I'll deal with you later," she spat.

Her attention return to Pyrrha. If possible, the girl looked even more afraid. That was smart. _She_ was smart. It meant she understood and appreciate the severity of the situation. Unlike shit-for-brains Mercury. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

"Have you ever shot that rifle of yours at anyone?" Yang inquired. Pyrrha swallowed hard. She shook her head. "Have you been in combat?"

Another negative. Yang figured as much. "If you want to avoid having blood on your hands today, do exactly as I say. Understood?" Pyrrha inhaled sharply. Yang took that as a yes.

"Welcome to war, second lieutenant Nikos."

* * *

Several hours after the incident, Yang made her rounds through the market district of Menagerie. The usually busy hubbub was located a few strolls' distance from the main docks where new Faunus arrived every day.

Menagerie had become a safe haven for the animal/human hybrids; their last bastion. In a world full of discrimination and violence against their kind, the Faunus had sought a place they could call their own. That place ended up being Menagerie, a previously uninhabited island 500 miles off the coast of Patch, Yang's home.

Despite having found refuge, Menagerie was not all it was cracked up to be for the Faunus. Not anymore. The number of Faunus on the island had grown so exponentially over the course of five years, the Atlesian Government decided they had to step in and control the population increase. They claimed it was for safety and health reasons, but everyone knew their true motives; they had essentially turned Menagerie into a zoo, and the Atlesian troops were the zookeepers.

At first, the powers-that-be were satisfied with simply running the Faunus off the main-land. 'Give them a country of their own so they can stay the hell away from ours' was the idea behind it. Then Atlesian spies reported tremendous Faunus population increases. This made the powers nervous; what if the Faunus decided to turn on humans? They would most certainly use their unchecked numbers to their advantage.

To quell their fear and the probability of such an occurrence, the leaders of Atlas came up with a "sanitation' plan. In order to scale back the number of Faunus, Law F-150H was created. F-150H made it illegal for Faunus to become pregnant after it was signed into effect. Faunus found to be with child were to be executed. No questions asked. They justified F-150H by claiming the overpopulation of Menagerie was straining the island's resources and creating sanitation and health issues. They claimed the law was passed to keep the existing Faunus population healthy and happy.

… Yang didn't care about the bullshit justifications the brass came up with for what they did, she was just happy, fucking elated, to do it. As far as she was concerned, they didn't need an excuse to take out wild animals.

Today, the market was empty. Word of the incident at the docks between her soldiers and the Faunus family had spread quickly through the village. A combination of fear and rage had driven most Faunus to the relative safety of their homes. Were it not for Yang's soldiers posted at their designated locations, the streets would be mostly abandoned. There were still a handful of brave (or stupid) Faunus roaming about. Mostly fruit-stand and fish-market vendors hard-up for cash.

Yang marched down the main market street, exuding confidence she didn't necessarily feel. Through sheer luck, she managed to prevent a riot. If only for one more day. But at what cost?

While the Atlesian troops were not to be trifled with, it was never wise to antagonize the enemy while on enemy territory. The troops and the Faunus didn't get along, but they'd managed to remain (mostly) civil towards each other, barring a few incidents here and there. Now, because of the incident, the troops didn't have a friend in the world.

That made things… complicated. Especially considering the presence of the White Fang, a supposed revolutionary organization fighting for Faunus' rights. Yang called them as she saw them—they were a terrorist group lead by a blood-thirsty Faunus with a penchant for blowing up Atlesian Military property. So far, the White Fang hadn't tried starting trouble in Menagerie, largely due to the civilians' insistence to keep their village as violence and turmoil free as possible. Aside from keeping a bomb-free, violent-free village, one of the perks of having White Fang activity banned was the unintended, continued safety of the Atlesian troops.

Yang couldn't be sure that was still the case. The prospect of having to potentially deal with the White Fang on top of everything else was alarming. Mercury created one hell of cluster fuck. All this because he didn't have the presence of mind to pull a Faunus away from her family and the public's eyes before executing her…

Yang didn't completely Mercury. He claimed the sight of the Faunus' pregnant belly set him off. Had she been in his shoes, she might have been tempted to shoot the Faunus on site, too. Faunus were trash, but their spawn were abominations. Nastier than the shit sitting at the bottom of the latrines in the barracks.

Honestly, the fact the sub-human species wasn't annihilated upon discovery was beyond her. To think there was a point in time when they believed human beings could coexist with the savages. Yang shuddered to think it, but she supposed even a civilization as advanced as hers was entitled to make a few mistakes—the mistake being showing compassion to the Faunus species. That's why Yang took her job as a Grimm, an elite soldier trained specifically to exterminate pregnant Faunus, very seriously. Put very simply, her job was to clean up after the messes of her people.

Yang was hopeful one day there would be no need for specialized killers such as herself. That day would come when the last Faunus was wiped off the face of the earth. Until then, Yang was determined to keep control of this outpost. Keeping control could mean many things…

Yang halted and frowned. Just ahead was a monkey Faunus speaking with one of her soldiers. She watched as the blond Faunus used his tail to steal several items from the distracted and unsuspecting soldier. She felt the urge to pull her gun out and blow his tail off. Instead, Yang carefully stepped back into the shadow of a vendor's stall, assessing the Faunus. He continued to chat up the soldier, whom Yang now recognized as the dim-witted Corporal Jaune Arc. The Faunus was practically robbing him blind, all while flashing her soldier a disarming smile.

…Sometimes keeping control meant breaking up a would-be mob. Sometimes it meant teaching a sneaky thief a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

* * *

Sun looked over his shoulder. Again.

His instincts told him he was being watched. They were usually spot on. However, every time he checked his surroundings, there was no one there. If someone really was following him, they had run out of places to hide some time ago.

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the scattered passersby for anyone that might look suspicious or out of place. In all honesty, _he_ was probably the most out-of-place looking Faunus of the bunch with his open shirt, torn jeans and flashy hairstyle.

After a minute, he shrugged. "I'm just being paranoid."

He continued on his way, whistling a tune and swinging the sack with the stolen goods.

He kept going in the same direction, south, for a distance of four blocks before swinging a left at a Sushi stand. He stopped long enough to pick up his order and pay the old man, all without missing a beat. His nose wrinkled as he brought the plastic container of Sushi up to his nose and sniffed.

"Ugh," he shuddered.

10 minutes later, he finally reached his destination—the Wharf. It was an abandoned section of the island filled with old homes and some warehouses, surrounded by an 18-foot wooden fence topped with barbed wire, courtesy of the Atlesian Military.

The Wharf used to be the life of Menagerie, filled with markets of vendors offering exotic goods imported from around the world. The people called it the 'Old City.' It was the star attraction of the island before the Atlesian Government raised the taxes on all the imported and exported goods to ridiculously high rates. After that, no one was stupid or desperate enough to buy or sell from or to Menagerie. It was just one more way Atlas had ruined the Faunus' lives.

With practiced ease, Sun scaled the 18-foot gate preventing people from entering the Wharf. He landed on the other side with a soft grunt then arched his neck to look up at the top of the gate.

No one was coming. Whoever had been following him, unless they were a specific kind of Faunus, wouldn't be able to get over the gate.

"Can't monkey around a monkey," Sun grinned, utterly pleased with himself. Spinning around, his set his mental sights on his ultimate destination—the small but stylish beach house he shared with his friend. It was on the other side of the Wharf, and not many people knew about the private beach. It took him another fifteen minutes to run, jump and flip his way to the back side of the Wharf.

He came to a stop just before the back gate and set down the sack of stolen goods. He waited patiently, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin and the heavy scent of salt in the air.

…Sun sensed a minute shift in the air around him, almost imperceptible but there all the same. His lips stretched back in a grin, his blue eyes fixated on a shadow against the side of an old house.

"It's like you go out of your way to be all mysterious and stuff," He teased.

The shadow stepped forward. As it walked into the sunlight, it revealed itself to be the cat Faunus, Blake Belladonna.

Blake slinked out of the shadows with a languid yet somehow still graceful stride. She often exuded qualities of her feline nature—being infuriatingly stealthy and graceful were just a few of them. She hardly made a sound as she walked over to him. The only exception was the gentle fluttering of her white, twin-tailed coat and the occasional groan of her leather, knee-high boots. Sun's smile widen as Blake settled her glowing, amber eyes on him, her thin lips twitching faintly.

"Honey, I'm home," Sun joked, using his tail to pick up the discarded sack of goods. He lifted it near his head, positioning it at Blake's eye-level. "And I brought presents."

Blake's eyes twinkled with amusement despite a huff. She took the goods from Sun, giving the contents of the sack a quick check before closing the bag.

"Good job, Sun."

Sun nodded. "I have something else," He waved the container of Sushi, waiting for Blake's killer senses to pick up on its scent. "Maybe we can have lunch together?"

"Don't you hate Sushi?"

"That's beside the point."

Blake rolled her eyes in good nature. Sun didn't know how to take a hint sometimes. It was usually extremely annoying, but today she found it slightly endearing.

"Sun, I—"

Her ears shot up. The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood straight up. In front of her, Sun froze. The color drained from his face. Her own weary reflection stared back at her from his terrified blue eyes. The click of several gun safeties at her back made her blood run cold.

"Turn around. Slowly."

A woman's voice. Hard. Scathing.

Blake shared a look with Sun before putting her hands up in the air and slowly turning.

What she saw was so bizarre she couldn't keep the look of surprise off her face. Three soldiers held her and Sun at gunpoint. Two of them, men, wore the standard white armor uniform. The third, a blonde woman, wore a tan, two-tailed coat over a tan vest with yellow trim; black, form fitting jeans and brown, knee-high riding boots. Her hair was a wild mane of gold billowing in the breeze. A pair of the strangest colored eyes Blake had seen on a human glared daggers at her and Sun. She was taken aback by the sheer hate teeming in those lilac eyes.

"Drop the sack," The blonde snarled at her.

Blake's ears flattened at her tone. She shot a look at Sun. "You were followed?!"

The monkey Faunus eyes bulged and his jaw was slack. The expression managed to capture all his stupidity in one go.

"Th-there's no way!" He sputtered.

'Idiot,' Blake thought, baring her teeth in a grimace at his blunder. She had a few choice words for him.

"You. Monkey," The blonde snapped, "You're under arrest for stealing from an Atlesian soldier. And you-" She pointed at Blake, "-are under arrest for being in possession of stolen government property."

Blake scoffed. She kept her attention on the woman but addressed Sun. "There's only three of them. We can take them," She said under her breath.

Sun shook his head. "Not in your condition."

Blake cringed as if she'd been struck. All of the soldiers' expressions changed, becoming tight with anger. Why the hell did Sun have to be so damn loud?!

"Sun!" She hissed.

Sun was immediately aware of the gaffe. His baby blue eyes were apologetic as he mouthed, "Sorry."

Yang scowled. Was the Faunus pregnant? She quickly assessed the brunette. She had a tall, slim frame. Moderate sized breasts. Thick legs. Wide hips. Perfect for pushing out and nurturing disgusting offspring.

"You're pregnant."

Blake swallowed. It was both a question and an accusation. The blonde's voice was steely, cold and sharp like the edge of blade. It made Blake shudder. She'd never experienced someone looking at her with so much derision in their eyes. This woman, whoever she was, indubitably despised Blake.

Blake didn't get much more of a chance to wonder why this soldier appeared to hate her. She barked at her soldiers—"Arrest the blond. Execute the girl."

"You can't do that!" Sun shouted, throwing himself in front of Blake, using himself as a shield.

Blake momentarily panicked at the sight of two rifles pointed at him. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, preparing to lash out. The soldiers might have guns but she and Sun were exceptionally fast. They could escape. They could make it out of here. They could—

Her eyes cut to the blonde soldier, giving her the most menacing glare she could muster. Blake understood the look in her eyes now. She was looking at a Grimm. A Faunus-child killer. One who enjoyed what she did.

Soldiers like her were the reason Blake joined the White Fang, and behavior like this was the reason why killing Atlesian troops no longer bothered her as much as it used to.

Blake attempted to calculate the best way to approach the blonde. She was obviously skilled—Grimm weren't any old soldiers picked off the block. Her eyes widened as the approach came to her just a moment too late.

A single shot was fired. The blast of the rifle made her ears snap back against her head in pain. The thunderous noise had her head spinning due to her keen senses. Her eyes widened as they fell on the smoking gun in the blonde's hands.

Droplets of hot wetness spattered across Blake's face. She touched a finger to the wetness then brought it in front of her face. It was blood.

As if a gory scene from a low-budget film, Sun's head began to split open. Blake watched in stunned horror as crimson sludge poured from the widening gap in the center of his skull.

Sun's body slumped to the ground with a thud. He fell to his knees, the insides of his head making an unspeakable sound as they sloshed and spilled over. Blake would never forget it. Then, slowly, so painfully slowly, Sun tipped over onto his side, and his brain, what was left of it, spilled out on the ground. Later, Blake would recall the organ looked a lot like lasagna.

Just like that, Sun was dead. The world came to a grinding, smoking halt for Blake. That's how it seemed when really it kept on spinning, indifferent to her plight. That was the cruel nature of the world—while it may be ending for one, it went on without a hitch for everyone else. Not a moment's hesitation.

"Kill the Faunus."

Blake snapped to awareness in an instant, and darted out of the bullets' path just as the soldiers began to fire. She jumped and arched through the air, avoiding their bursts with the kind of agility that could only come from a Faunus.

Yang grit her teeth, narrowed eyes tracking the Faunus' movement. It was nearly impossible. The Faunus was so fast and agile she was barely more than a blur of white and black. The Faunus displayed an amazing set of acrobatic skills, dodging bullets as she flipped through the air and darted in between her soldiers. Yang was forced to leap out of the way as several bullets came dangerously close to hitting her. Her soldiers were momentarily distracted by that, giving the Faunus the perfect opportunity to escape. She ran for the nearest street, for the maze of old, gutted buildings waiting to provide a hiding spot

"After her!" Yang ordered the stunned soldiers. They broke into a sprint, setting off after the Faunus with Yang covering their asses.

They were quick to catch up.

"I see her!" The soldier taking point shouted, lifting his rifle to line up his shot. "Freeze, or I'll shoot!"

"You'll shoot anyway!" Yang heard the Faunus retort.

"Take her legs out," She ordered under her breath.

"Ma'am," The soldier barked.

He took aim. The Faunus happened to look over her shoulder, but it was just a little too late. Yang's soldier fired. The bullets zipped through the air. The Faunus' pupils turned to pinpricks, small black points in a sea of shimmering gold.

"Auggggh!" The Faunus released a terrible, chill-inducing scream, crashing to the ground as a bloody mist sprayed from a hole in her right shin. She tumbled head over heels several feet then skidded to a stop on her front in a crumpled heap.

"On her!" Yang shouted, swinging her rifle around her neck to free her arms. She pumped them hard, blowing past the second soldier and catching up to the first in a few strides. She reached him just as he was about to shove the whimpering Faunus onto her back.

"What the—"

The Faunus disappeared. Fucking disappeared right before Yang's eyes just as the barrel of the soldier's rifle touched her shoulder. Her mind scrambled to make sense of it.

The thought process came to a grinding halt as her eyes focused on the device at their feet. A black, metallic plate with a blinking red light and a logo of a white wolf.

'Oh, fuck,'

She heard the frown in her soldier's voice as he spoke. "Is that?... An IED—"

"Move!" Yang shouted, shoving the soldier out of the way. She grit her teeth as she did so, knowing it would probably be the last mistake of her life.

A heartbeat later, a blinding light, a deafening blast, and pain unlike anything Yang had ever experienced assaulted her senses, body and mind.

Her last conscious thought was one of rage, and she cursed the golden-eyed Faunus to hell and back.


	2. Lighting Fires

**Hello, all. Thank you to everyone who read that longwinded first chapter, and a special thank you to all of you who took the time to review. Just a heads-up this chapter's format is a little different from the first. You'll be seeing a lot of that. I've given myself a lot of liberties with this story. I'd also like to let you know this story is posted on Archive of Our Own under the same title and pen name. I'm a little more interactive on Archive, so if you want more detail or notes, or just want to get inside my head a little more, I recommend heading over there.**

 **Without further ado, I give you chapter 2.**

 **Enjoy! Or don't. You do you, boo.**

* * *

Adam Taurus stared out past glaring lights. Past the merger of thousands of faces. Some of those faces were young. Some old. Some hopeful. Some furious. Some adoring. All of them bloody. All of them desperate. All of them waiting. The air practically vibrated with their anticipation. They were waiting for him to speak.

When he spoke, everyone fell silent. 5,000 Faunus hung on his every word. As if he were their savior. He was not a savior; he was fed up with all the injustice. Tired of letting the humans kill his people while the those who had the power to stop the atrocities stood idly by.

It was time to stop the madness. It was time for a revolution.

… _Your enemy's enemy has a face. It is the face of your friend, your neighbor. It is the face of your aunt and your uncle; a cousin, your brother, a sister. Your enemy's enemy has a face. It is the face of your mother; the face of your father. It is the face of your lover; of your wife, your husband. It is the face of your children. Your enemy's enemy has a face. It is_ _your_ _face._

 _When you meet your enemy face to face, you will know. You see the blackness -the hatred they have for you- in their soul pouring out of their eyes. Seeping through the skin. When you look into the eyes of your enemy, in that moment you realize they would do anything, even die, just for the chance to hurt you. There is nothing they will not do to make you suffer. You have not known darkness until you have looked into the eyes of someone who has put a face to the thing they hate most—your face. Mercy, pity, compassion; these are meaningless words. Pain is not just a word. Pain is real. Pain is tangible. It is felt with the body and the spirit. You have all felt it. Even the most unimaginable pain, the pain of losing the ones you love._

 _So when you look into the eyes of your enemy, when you look upon their face -show no mercy. Never forget their faces. They won't forget yours._

 _The time to pray for deliverance is over. The time to act is now. Will you act? It's time to stop reacting. We must be proactive. It's time we took the fight to Atlas._

The roar of 5,000 exhilarated Faunus shook the very foundation of the earth, and it stirred Adam's soul. His people were like a tinderbox, just waiting for a spark to ignite them. _He_ was the spark.

This was it.

This was the beginning of a new chapter in Faunus history.

* * *

 _To: Sergeant Ruby Rose, Intelligence_

 _Outpost, Atlas_

 _From: Lieutenant Yang Xiao Long, Grimm & Atlesian Knights Elite Forces_

 _Outpost, Classified_

 _Rubes,_

 _I did it. I made it through the academy. I'm a Grimm now, sis. Can you believe it? Two years' worth of blood, sweat and tears all leading up to this moment. I've been out of the academy several days now, taking a little R &R (but I'm not allowed to leave.) It feels like a dream, Rubes. I never thought I'd get out. I thought I was going to die in there. It's unlike anything you've ever experienced. I hope you never do. It's nothing like what I thought it would be. Maybe I was a bit naïve, but I thought the Grimm were elite soldiers trained to destroy high-priority targets such as the White Fang. That is… not what it is. At all. _

_Sis, I killed my first Faunus. It was the last test, the last requirement in order to graduate from the academy. I did it. I didn't hesitate. But afterwards I felt so empty. I know I signed up for this, but saying something and doing it aren't the same thing. I was so passionate before. Now, I'm not sure. But I'll do my job, sis. I'll make sure what happened to you and me never happens to another human being. I'll keep us safe. I wrote this to let you know I'm alright. What about you, Rubes? How are you? Are you enjoying working in intelligence? How's Weiss doing? Is she still a stuck-up princess? Ha! Tell her I said that. I'll talk to you soon. Your big sis loves you. Never forget it._

 _To: Sergeant Ruby Rose, Intelligence_

 _Outpost, Atlas_

 _From: Captain Yang Xiao Long, Grimm & Atlesian Knights Elite Forces_

 _Outpost, Classified 1345/12*2013_

 _Ruby,_

 _I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to the engagement party. Congratulations to you and Weiss! Marrying your best friend, how awesome is that? I know you'll make each other very happy._

 _The reason I was not able to attend is not something I can discuss in detail. All I can say is I was on assignment._

 _Sis… I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. There is a stark difference between protecting our people and actively seeking out an enemy to kill. If I sound even remotely sympathetic toward the Faunus, well, you would too if you saw what I saw. How do I deal with this, Ruby? How do I deal with these conflicting feelings I've developed for our enemy? If my superior knew, he'd fucking cut my head off to set an example. I'm sorry if my ranting and raving cause you to be concerned. That's not my intention. I just need someone to vent to. I'll be okay. Right as rain. Always._

 _It's been so long since I saw you. I miss you, sis. You have no idea how much. Take care of yourself and of Weiss—princess is high-maintenance. Again, tell her I said that._

 _Hope to see you soon. Remember, your big sis, Yang, loves you._

 _To: Master Sergeant Ruby Rose, Intelligence_

 _Outpost, Vale_

 _From: Colonel Yang Xiao Long, Grimm Master & Atlesian Knights Elite Forces_

 _Outpost, Classified_

 _Ruby,_

 _Do you know what a Grimm is?_

 _Do you know what I am, sis? What I've become? The more I do it, the more I become convinced it's what's right. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a Faunus? They're animals. They have no soul. They don't care about us. We're nothing to them. They would kill us all if they had the chance. That's why I have to stop them. There's no other way. I_ _will_ _keep us safe. I'm so relieved I've had my eyes opened. At the onset of my career as a Grimm, I began feeling sorry for the Faunus. I guess all these years dulled the pain of_ _that_ _night. You know the one._

 _Then I saw the savagery the Faunus are capable of. Kids, Ruby. They killed kids. Who the fuck kills kids on purpose?_

 _How long has it been since we saw each other? Three years? Four? I've lost count. It's been so long. I hear things around here. I hear talk that we're getting close to a resolution. Soon, this will all be over. Can you even imagine it? I can't._

 _How are you, sis? How's the new job? I'm so glad and relieved you decided to stay with intelligence instead of getting thrown out in the shit like me. I was never smart enough for something like that. That's why I'm out here. As long as it keeps you safe, I don't mind it. Take care, ok? We're almost home._

 _To: General Jacques Schnee_

 _From: Atlas. Atlesian Ministry of Militaristic and Technological Affairs_

 _Date: April 15_

 _Re: Grimm Academy Training Regimen: Success!_

 _General Schnee,_

 _Five years ago we reached a consensus regarding the new training program proposed for the Grimm Academy. It was our belief the new program would be in the best interest of Atlas and humankind._

 _Much scientific effort was dedicated to the research of the program. Our research team found re-education (including integration of new vocabulary), and encouraging the understanding and adoption of the Atlesian military philosophy was the most efficient way to strengthen the Atlesian Army. The new program ensured our soldiers' peak mental and physical condition for the extended continuation of their duties. Thanks to the program, their loyalties were undoubtedly ours._

 _At present, the implementation of Law F-150H has yielded tremendous results. Because of its success, in combination with the Grimm project, we estimate the Human/Faunus conflict will reach a conclusion by year's end._

 _Signed,_

 _The Ministry._

 _To: Master Sergeant Ruby Rose, Intelligence_

 _Outpost, Vale_

 _From: Brigadier General Cinder Falls, Grimm Com, Atlesian Knights Elite Forces_

 _Outpost, Menagerie 06*2016_

 _Master Sergeant Rose,_

 _My deepest condolences. I regret to inform you Colonel Yang Xiao Long, Grimm Master and Atlesian Knights Elite Forces, is declared M.I.A. You will be contacted by your superior officer with more details._

 _If I may speak freely? Fret not. Yang is the most capable soldier under my command. Rest assured I have every man searching for her. We'll be in touch, Ms. Rose._

 _To: Salem, leader of the Faunus Equality and Libertion Movement_

 _From: [Deleted]_

 _International diplomatic efforts to bring peace between humans and Faunus focused on the idea Faunus-kind would agree to remove themselves from the mainland and establish themselves on the island of Menagerie. Given the circumstances, surely you can agree a country to call your own is a generous gift. We are prepared to sign a Resolution. Resolution 4 will state:_

 _The need to work for and establish a just and lasting peace for all inhabitants of Remnant. Affirms the following:_

 _[1] Withdrawal of Atlesian troops from Menagerie Island_

 _[2]Rightful ownership of Menagerie Island relinquished by Atlas_

 _[3]Elimination of Law/Statute F-150H_

 _Let me be very clear and blunt. We're offering to stop this war and leave your people alone IF and only IF you will agree to ensure all Faunus-kind remain on Menagerie Island. We feel this is the only way we can reach an accord. We understand this 'land-for-peace' approach is a compromise, but we truly do not see how else this conflict ends well for your people. Consider the might of the Atlesian Military, its technological and scientific prowess—do you sincerely wish to continue this fight? We truly believe the best outcome for your people is to accept this Resolution._

* * *

Blake burst through the door of her home, pale, gasping for air, pouring sweat. Every muscle in her body burned and trembled. Her legs threatened to buckle. Her lower back screamed in pain—she'd run several miles bent at the waist, with a fairly heavy soldier strapped to her back.

With a strangled groan, Blake stepped inside her home, kicked the door shut behind her, and promptly collapsed, wheezing as the soldier's body threatened to crush all the air out of her lungs.

The Faunus took several moments to catch her breath and coax her heart from trying to tear a hole in her chest.

…She'd saved the blonde soldier.

She wasn't exactly sure why.

After she heard the explosion, an inexplicably urge compelled Blake to go back. Probably guilt. She didn't know the portable projector Adam gave her was also a bomb. Obviously, he'd been counting on her using it. Using _her_ as one more pawn in his bloody crusade against the humans.

The thought of him made Blake feel violently ill.

As many reasons as she might have to want to kill the soldiers, she wasn't in the business of trying to actively take them out. If she took a life, it was out of necessity, out of self-defense. Life, human or Faunus, was far too precious to take over some imagined slight or offense. People like Adam, like Jacques Schnee couldn't understand that. Reality for them, and many more, was tempered by their skewed perspectives. How else could they justify the deaths of hundreds of thousands as 'collateral damage?' That's all those soldiers and Sun were to Adam. Collateral damage.

When she returned to check on the soldiers, Blake didn't expect to find anyone left alive, but she couldn't exactly ignore them when she did. Only the blonde soldier remained. How the woman managed to survive was beyond Blake. Maybe it was her armor. Maybe it was sheer luck. The other two… Blake swallowed. Suffice it to say she could have gone her entire life without knowing what scrambled human innards looked like.

Now Blake had an unprecedented situation on her hands—she'd brought a wounded Atlesian military officer, a Grimm who tried to kill her, who succeeded in killing her best friend, into her home. Adam had given her a bomb, which she unwittingly used and caused the death of two more soldiers. Three if she didn't do something about the blonde's injuries. The media would eat this up, and depending on how the incident was portrayed, it might be the justification the humans needed for a mass Faunus execution of biblical proportions.

Blake shuddered as she gawked at the floor. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off. Fear was starting to set in. Oh, she'd never wished so much she could do the day over. She would do everything differently. Hell, she wouldn't have even left the house. Adam's goading be damned! Who could have imagined the way this day would play out?

All she could do about it now was ask, "What the fuck did I do?"

The next couple of minutes were a blur. One moment Blake was lying on the floor, trapped beneath a half-dead soldier, and on the verge of a breakdown. The next, she carried the blonde into her bedroom, deposited her on her bed, and began the slow, grueling process of carefully undressing the woman in order to check her for injuries.

The familiarity of motions helped steady Blake's nerves somewhat. She had her fair share of undressing unconscious people during her time in the White Fang.

Her first assignment had been with the medical team. She'd enjoyed helping injured and wounded. She'd gone out of her way to learn above and beyond what her position required. Blake had found fulfillment in helping restore life, not taking it away. And she found peace—something shooting at her enemy did not give her.

Blake worked quickly and efficiently. She inspected the blonde, made a mental list of what she needed to treat the various injuries, and then went to fetch the supplies; sports wrap, alcohol, bandages, warm water, towels, a bowl, painkillers, and a mortar and pestle to grind the painkillers. She'd add water to turn the powder into a paste, then rub the paste on the woman's gums to get the medicine into her system.

Blake started with the ribs, carefully wrapping the blonde's bruised torso, ensuring the band fit tight enough to support the ribs but not so much so as to restrict her breathing. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about the internal bleeding.

As for the broken leg, Blake could do something about that. She made a homemade splint—something she'd done more than a few times for members of the White Fang. She set the broken shin bone, grimacing at the loud crack. The sound made her stomach queasy.

Lastly, Blake cleaned the various cuts on the woman's face, neck and hands. The gash near her right temple was particularly nasty, extending from the right brow to the corner of the eye. Even when they weren't too serious, head wounds always bled so damned much. By the time Blake cleaned it and sewed it shut, the blonde looked deathly pale. It was concerning, but there wasn't much more to be done about it. In spite of her current condition, the Grimm was damned lucky. Unbelievably so compared to her subordinates.

Blake covered the blonde with a blanket then sat back in her rocking chair and stared. Her room looked like a war zone. There was blood on the walls from when she stumbled in, and bloody bandages, towels and clothes discarded haphazardly on the bed and floor, and Blake had knocked over a lamp. Countless pieces of pearl-colored glass littered the floor by her bed. It was all so very chaotic, much like the current state of Blake's mind and emotions.

Taking the Grimm's injuries into account, Blake couldn't be sure the Atlesian soldier would survive. A large part of her rejoiced at the prospect of her death. She deserved it. She'd murdered Sun in cold blood and had been about to do the same to her and her unborn baby.

…Sun. He was dead now. All because he'd protected Blake.

"Sun," Blake sobbed his name into her shaking hands.

Sun was her best friend. He was a sweet, silly guy with a big smile and an even bigger heart. He wasn't even involved with the White Fang. He'd only stolen those items from the soldier because he didn't want Blake to do it. He'd always doted on her, even more so once he smelled the baby in her. He'd often joked about naming the baby Sun Jr, and teaching him the proper way to climb trees, skip rocks, and how to spot the perfect banana, ripe for the picking. It always made Blake laugh, the way Sun could talk to her stomach for hours with so much enthusiasm and never run out of things to say. She'd even considered going along with some of his silly plans.

None of them were going to happen. Not now. Sun was dead. Blake's heart was breaking, and she might have unwittingly brought down the full force of the Atlesian Military on her head by saving the woman who wrecked her entire life in a single moment.

Go figure. They did say black cats brought bad luck.

Blake spent the rest of the night alternating between bouts of uncontrollable sobbing and attending to the blonde soldier.

At one point, Blake was forced to sit behind her and prop her up against her chest—the soldier's breathing had become extremely labored and there was a gurgle in her throat. She would have drowned in her own fluids and never been the wiser. Blake wondered why she didn't just let her succumb to her injuries. Let nature take its course.

But every time she convinced herself to ignore the distressed blonde, the Faunus was left with an ache in her chest and a bad taste in her mouth. Her mother and father didn't raise an asshole. It was in Blake's nature to help those in need, for better or for worse. Whether they deserved it or not.

When morning finally came, Blake was exhausted. Mentally, physically spiritually—all of it.

And she was hot. Hot, as in consumed by rage. Staying by the Grimm's side was an experience comparable to a knife in Blake's chest, and every breath she took shoved it in deeper. After spending a night literally holding her enemy in her arms, Blake was absolutely mad with grief and thinking crazy thoughts, such as burning everything the Grimm's blood had touched. Including her own hands.

Blake was smarter than that. She knew every emotion she felt was magnified by trauma and exhaustion. So, no, she wasn't going to set her house and herself on fire. Not now, anyway. If she still felt that way later…

She extracted herself from beneath the unconscious blonde, who didn't even stir or make a peep. Her pale, sweaty face was twisted up in pain. Her cheeks were flushed beneath the paleness. Her chest rose and fell shallowly. Blake felt the smallest hint of sympathy.

Then an image flashed through her mind; of Sun's head split open, his brains dripping through the grotesque wound created by the blonde's high-powered rifle. And the Grimm, the cool look on her face, the calm in her eyes as she'd killed him. How could anyone be so cruel?

Blake sneered down at the soldier. She didn't deserve to live, and she was lucky Blake couldn't make up her mind between acting out of her grief or out of her respect for life. Her parents' philosophy on life and its value was not something easily put aside. Their beliefs had been instilled in her from a very young age.

With a huff, Blake exited the room, shut the door behind her to shut out the blonde's physical presence as well as her presence in Blake's thoughts, and padded to the living room.

She was out cold before she finished sitting down on the couch.


	3. Lessons My Father Taught Me

**AN: Here you, guys. Double update cuz I'll be away for two weeks, give or take a few days. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

When she was a child Blake's father taught her many lessons and imparted many truths. He refused to let her grow up to become like everyone else; selfish, contemptuous, and willfully ignorant of the pain and struggles of others. He said there were far too many people out there willing to take care of their own, but very few willing to put themselves aside for the sake of others, be it a stranger or even an enemy. He taught her all it took for bad things to keep happening was for good people to stand back and do nothing. He taught her the path of least resistance was not always the right choice. And he taught her true strength was not the ability to take, but to give. Give life, don't take it. Give happiness, don't demand it.

Her father, a sure dreamer he was. As Blake matured, she came to realize this about him. His ideas were not popular with either side of the conflict. Humans considered him a traitor. Faunus distrusted him. And when he spoke of 'peace' and 'co-existence' and 'giving instead of taking,' his dissenters' protests were loud. Loud as the roar of an Atlesian jet. Yes, her father was a dreamer, and like all dreamers, he was eventually crushed by the weight of his dreams.

For his desire for unity among humans and Faunus, the world beat Ghira Belladonna down. Over and over again. But even then, even bloodied, beaten and at some points starved and imprisoned, her father had something no one else had—an undeniable sparkle in his eye, a genuine smile on his face. Nothing in the world could take that from him, and for that, Blake silently acknowledged and adopted her father's teachings.

She could only hope her father was right, and that one day her perseverance would pay off.

Today was not shaping up to be that day.

The second night of her latest venture was turning out to be worse than the first. The loss of Sun hit her. Hard. She was devastated. Her entire world was crashing down around her, and now she was alone with only the little creature growing inside of her, and the half-dead woman who tried to kill her.

Yes, it grew more unbelievable every time she thought about it.

And the situation only got worse.

She was passed out on the couch when she was roused at midnight by the hoarse coughs coming from her bedroom. Blake immediately jumped off the couch and raced to the blonde's bedside.

The soldier was sitting up in bed, leaning over her lap, choking. Her face was beet red but her lips were turning blue from a lack of oxygen. Her expression was one of fear and confusion.

And pain. Lots of pain. It triggered Blake. She did not like seeing people in pain.

Some of the soldier's hair came loose from the haphazard ponytail Blake threw it in. Strands of golden locks were plastered to her sweaty face and neck. The blonde's hands simultaneously clutched at her ribs and chest as she continued hacking. Blake eyed the dark spots on the cream colored sheets. Phlegm dotted with specks of blood.

Blake stood there, torn about what to do. She didn't have the skills to deal with the soldier's injuries. That was quickly becoming apparent. Should she summon the Atlesians? Take the woman to the White Fang medical team? Drop her ass off by the barracks? Let her die? All options were just as likely to get Blake killed. Was she willing to risk her life just to help her enemy? She might have. It's what her father taught her.

Unfortunately, things were far too complicated for a simple 'yes' or 'no.'

' _It's not just your life anymore. What about the baby? Sun died to protect it, too_ ,' she reminded herself. ' _Is this woman really worth all three of your lives?'_

The answer was no. Maybe she was worth Blake's life, but not Sun's, and certainly not Sun's _and_ the baby's.

Thankfully, Blake was spared the burden of making a painful decision. The blonde finally caught her breath.

She gasped down some air, groaned, and collapsed back into bed, unconscious. Blake was hopeful. Maybe the soldier wouldn't die after all.

She went over and pushed the blonde onto her side, and slipped a folded towel behind her back to keep her from rolling over. She would be incredibly sore from sleeping on broken ribs, but she would be grateful not to wake up suffocating again. Blake also placed a damp rag around her neck, hoping to stay her fever.

She spent the rest of the night watching over the soldier, feeling guilty for having ignored her all day. Not because of the blonde, but because of her father. Ghira wouldn't have approved of such selfish behavior on her part. No matter what the circumstances.

The next couple of days were… difficult, to say the least. The blonde had two more fits in just as many days. Each time, Blake was sure she was literally going to cough up a piece of her lung—that or just straight up croak. Waiting was nerve-wracking. Anguishing.

The strangest incident happened when she walked into the room and found hazy lilac eyes staring dumbly at the ceiling. Blake froze at the door, waiting with waited breath for the soldier to notice her. But she never did. She muttered something indistinguishable under her breath, shuddered, and then her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Just like that, she was gone to the world again.

Blake was fairly disturbed by it, and in all honesty, she was beginning to freak out. The longer the soldier stayed in her company, the more culpability would be on Blake if something (else) happened to her. The thought of what the humans might do to her made her dizzy. They could be very cruel.

Oh, it would be so easy to call Adam. Have him 'dispose' of Yang and clean up any evidence she was ever here, destroy any indication of Blake's involvement. It was only a matter of time before the Atlesians formed a search party and swept the island looking for Yang. The woman was far too valuable to leave her M.I.A. If Blake was going to get herself out of this mess, it had to be now.

Fuck. Why couldn't she just do the smart thing here?

Against her better judgment, Blake chose to keep nursing the blonde to health.

That night, Blake sat in her modest-sized living room. She was reading while the T.V. played quietly in the background. She was really into this book about monster slayers. So much so she almost missed the mention of the bombing. Thank her Faunus heritage for her keen sense of hearing. She set the book on her lap and turned the volume up on the T.V. The monitor now held her undivided attention.

According to the NEWS, the Atlesian troops finally discovered the bodies of their slain comrades in the Wharf. Back on the mainland, indignant citizens marched on the Capitol demanding Menagerie's invasion. Within hours of the discovery, two teams of Grimm were transported to the island.

Blake didn't understand why the death of two regular soldiers warranted the presence of specialized killers but had the Atlesian Government ever needed a logical reason to come after her kind?

Regular military presence within the island was increased, too. Atlesian soldiers were stationed at every corner of the market district and at the gates of the Wharf. Only Atlesian military personnel were allowed to enter or leave the island. Faunus were being indiscriminately stopped, frisked and interviewed on the streets. Even children. Certain 'suspects' were subject to home raids and off-book 'interrogations.' Soldiers were retaliating of their own accord, picking fights with innocent Faunus just to have an excuse to open fire on them.

It was a nightmare.

One segment was a memorial to the two soldiers who were killed. Surprisingly little was said about the bombing itself, save for a few speculations claiming the White Fang was responsible for the attack. They only briefly mentioned Sun, and not even by name. They mentioned an 'apparent Faunus body found near the site.'

The blatant disregard for Faunus lives, for Sun's life, tore the air from Blake's lungs, and it took her a moment to get it back.

She continued listening, growing frightfully numb as she stared at the floor. The humans weren't just indifferent about Faunus, they really hated them. They wanted them dead. They really didn't care. She knew this, of course.

Still a tough pill to swallow. Still a harsh truth.

The next segment was on one Colonel Yang Xiao Long, a Grimm and member of the Atlesian Knights Elite Forces. She was hailed as a hero, a 21-year-old combat prodigy the likes of which the Atlesian military had never seen. They spoke of her marks, confirming well over 200 kills in her three years in the service, 79 of those executed with the authority granted by Law F-150H. They spoke of her climb through the ranks—how she'd been the youngest solider ever to graduate the Grimm Academy and be handed control over an entire outpost, the hottest outpost at that.

They went on and on about her. For well over thirty minutes.

Civilians and soldiers alike praised her as if she were some sort of god. 'The spear of the tip!' they said about her. 'The people's Champion,' and 'A true hero for her endeavors in the fight to eradicate the Faunus parasite.'

It disgusted Blake—these peoples' adoration for someone who essentially amounted to a baby killer.

Apparently, the woman had gone missing several days ago. The mention of her disappearance coinciding with the day of the bombing is what finally compelled Blake to look at the screen and put a name to the face.

And who should she see staring back at her but the very woman occupying her bed?

A sharp pain in Blake's stomach made her keel over her knees. She instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Another stab had her launching herself off the couch and racing to the restroom. She threw up until her throat grew raw and her skull threatened to combust.

When her body literally had nothing more to give, she threw herself into the bathtub, turned on the cold water, and let it fall on her as she slid down the wall.

She sat there, mind spinning. Full of dark thoughts. Thoughts about Yang. About Adam. About the baby. One second she was tending to the Grimm's injuries and the next Blake wanted to slit her throat in her sleep. One second she despised Adam for his cruel methods and the next she understood him. For one fleeting moment, Sun had actually convinced her to be happy about the baby. Now? Now Blake wished she'd taken Adam's advice to get rid of it. This would all be so much easier without it.

Round and round her thoughts went, slowly driving her mad.

Blake had known about Yang. At the very least suspected who she was. Her status was no secret and her deeds were no surprise. But being suspicious and having that kind of devastating truth confirmed—she wasn't prepared for it.

A million different voices tore at her;

Sun's. Affectionate. Warm. _'You're a fool, Blake. But you have a good heart.'_

Her own. Scared. _'Stop trying to be a fucking hero. Save yourself.'_

Her mother's. Kind. Concerned. _'I don't think your father intended for you to die to live up to his ideals, sweetie.'_

Adam's. Cold. Wrathful. _'How many lives, including your own and your baby's, will be sparred if you kill that Grimm tonight? She'd kill you in a heartbeat. That's what she does, she eradicates the Faunus parasite.'_

Her father's. Gentle. Loving. Proud. _'Make the hard decision, baby. Swim upstream. It doesn't matter if you're the only fish fighting the current. All the others are swimming right into a net. Not you, Blake. Not you.'_

After running the full gamut of every human emotion in existence, Blake had nothing left to give. She whimpered into her folded arms folded over her knees. She was tired of running hot and cold. Tired of not knowing what to do, and tired of watching people get hurt. Including herself.

"I should have killed her,"

It all came down to that one fucking decision. It was haunting her already. She _should_ have killed Yang. She didn't.

To think she'd had the power to prevent all this.

Despite what she learned about her 'guest', Blake continued to watch over her, simultaneously relieved and cross the blonde appeared to be getting better, and still not understanding herself or her decisions. She tried not to think about it too much; she'd only give herself a headache and make herself sick. Goodness knew the poor child in her didn't need any more stress. She still felt little pinpricks of pain in her abdomen from the other night.

Yang's mild fever broke a day later, and she started sleeping more soundly. The bruises on her chest and stomach were beginning to fade which meant the internal bleeding wasn't as bad as Blake initially thought. Blake was able to cut the sutures on the head injury that same day. It was healing nicely. Might not even leave a scar. Good for Yang. She didn't need anymore. Her body was riddled with scars. Blake wondered about them but always silenced her curious thoughts with a dose of reality. She probably got them while killing Faunus.

A week passed.

Yang began to stir and murmur more. She would be waking up soon, and Blake was suddenly terrified at the prospect of dealing with her because as the days passed, her belly had gotten a little bigger. Not much. Just enough for Blake to notice. It was a reminder to the Faunus of why she was in this situation to begin with.

She was scared because she couldn't be sure what Yang's reaction would be. She safely assumed the soldier would (understatement of the year!) not be happy, but what else? Would Yang try to attack her immediately, or would she appreciate her situation and the fact she was only alive because a Faunus saved her life? Also, Blake wouldn't bet on the soldier making it very far from bed with broken ribs and a broken leg.

The Faunus hoped for the latter but began carrying her weapon, Gambol Shroud, with her. It remained tucked into the waistband of her pants, out of sight but not out of mind. Her mother, Kali, while positive and optimistic, had also been a realist. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Any day now Blake was going to face Sun's killer. She was terrified, yes, but so ready for this to be over- waiting for Yang to wake up was like being in purgatory. Regardless of how matters concluded, at least the end was in sight. Blake drew solace from the small comfort.

This was almost over.


	4. How We Fight

_The problem with 'sides' is the inequality of power. One 'side' will always be superior to the other. One side gives orders; the other is forced to obey. Submit. Why? Simply because they are the 'other' side. If they were the same there would be no need for division, no need to make a distinction between them._

 _That's when all this started, isn't it? When they stopped being 'us' and started being 'them.'_

* * *

His cage was a 20 by 20 area fenced in on three sides, with a drab brick wall on the fourth. The floor was made of concrete. It was an ugly flat gray color like something dead. There were 50 other Faunus stuffed in the cage with him. They were in such close quarters they were practically on top of each other. You couldn't tell a stranger's sweat from your own. There were three more 20 by 20 cages in the warehouse, all of them filled with Faunus and a few unfortunate humans.

Life in the warehouse had not been kind to the dog Faunus. In the month since he was imprisoned, he'd lost well over 20 pounds; partly due to the sickening muck the guards tried to feed him, which they took the liberty to label as 'food.' And partly due to stress. He got jumped twice; once by a Faunus and once by a guard. He hardly slept, afraid someone high up on the Atlas chain-of-command had ordered a hit on him. He was nervous, snappish, starving, and slowly losing his once brilliant mind. When the Atlesian Knights took him they said he was going to a state correctional facility. Instead, they'd drugged him, and when he woke up— well, this place was certainly not prison. It was a pit for soon to be slaves.

The smell was the worst part of it. It had a weight to it. It was crippling. The scents of Faunus and human urine, feces, vomit, and sweat all left to ripen in the heat for days at a time was not something easily endured by any Faunus, but especially not by a dog. Most days, he'd wrap the fragments of his shirt around his face, preferring to stomach the scent of his own stink instead. Nearing the month period without a shower or a lick of fresh air, however, he hardly smelled better than the filth around him.

…He'd fought hard for his cause, even going so far as to spy on Atlesian government officials. He'd stolen information, provided refugees with resources, and harbored wanted members of the White Fang. He'd risked life and limb for his people. In the end, he got caught. Unlike so many others, he didn't give up the people he worked with. He'd kept his mouth shut. Kept their secrets and plans from nefarious Atlas ears.

And now he was paying the ultimate price.

If he was lucky, he'd go to sleep one day and never wake up. If not, he was looking at a life of being bought and sold by human masters. He'd heard stories about the humans who bought Faunus. They were bad enough to make the toughest guy in the room squirm.

It was a fate worse than death, and the state of much of his current company confirmed it. Many of the Faunus in the 'pit,' as the traffickers called it, were previously owned slaves who were being sold again or traded. They'd done their time with their human masters, and it showed. Some of them were beaten black and blue. Others were emaciated. Some were diseased, and some probably had a few minutes left to live. What a wretched few minutes.

He and the rest of the prisoners were in limbo. Waiting on a group of very rich and powerful humans to come check out the 'stock' before they'd be shipped away to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what for however long it took their 'masters' to get their money's worth out of them.

One of the traffickers, a woman – _Jade, or something like that-_ at the very least was compassionate enough to offer him water to wash out his bloody eye after he got jumped. She'd even answered a few of his questions. Mainly, how the traffickers could do the things they did to Faunus and sometimes even to their own kind.

" _The thing about Faunus and people is unlike drugs you can be sold multiple times. Unlike weapons your use is indefinite. Sex and slaves sell. This is about money and power. You're not a person, you're a product."_

She'd added, " _I think that's a touch better than what the bulk of humanity sees you as. To them you have no value at all."_

No value at all… Well that wasn't true, was it? He wouldn't be here if it were true.

…The abrupt cadence of gunshots, the high-pitched crack of automatic weapons made the dog Faunus jump, his thoughts scattered.

"Are those gunshots?" He cried out. He hooked his fingers through the chain-link fence and pressed his face in the small gap between them. He looked around, frantic, but found most everyone else asleep or otherwise preoccupied. "Guys, I heard gunshots."

"Nah. No way." A man, a boar Faunus, replied. He sounded calm and completely undisturbed. And tired. So incredibly tired.

The dog Faunus held his breath a moment, straining to hear past the sound of his pounding heart.

"There! I heard it again! Those are definitely shots!"

A second Faunus in the cage, an insect of some sort, hissed at him and shot him a nasty glare. "Hey, pipe down, will ya?! You'll get us all in trouble, ya idiot!"

The dog shook his head. "I'm telling you—"

"Just shut the fuck up! We're trying to get some sleep!" Someone further down shouted. Several other voices murmured their agreement.

"Hey, kid," The boar motioned, "Just calm down, alright? Try to relax and get some sleep." He suggested. "You've been prattling on about assassins and spies for weeks now."

"Yeah," the insect snorted, "Ain't no one coming to save ya. You're dying in here like the rest of us miserable bastards." He said cruelly.

"Speak for yourself."

The dog remained where he was, hands pressed against the fence, sweat pouring from his face and soaking his back. He didn't say anything more. Not even as the sounds came closer and he knew with certainty those were gunshots. These other Faunus didn't have his keen sense of hearing and smell—he could hear the shots clearly and smell the acrid scent of gun-powder in the air.

He blew out a shaky breath, heart pounding in his throat and sweaty hands slipping. They were in danger. More than the usual. He could feel it in his bones. He had a 6th sense about these sort of things.

What a shame everyone around him refused to listen.

The full-scale assault started a little after mid-night.

Only the dog knew what fate awaited them, and after being so rudely disregarded before, he was not in a sharing mood. It wouldn't matter anyway. There was nothing they could do about what was going on out there.

They'd find out soon enough.

Something was off.

* * *

Winter sensed it.

It was in the White Fang soldiers' sour expressions and tense postures. They looked defeated. The fight hadn't even begun. It was in the uneasy silence of the night. And it was most certainly in the way Adam Taurus walked. Slowly and casually. Almost lazily. As if they were out on a stroll instead of about to infiltrate the headquarters of a notorious human and Faunus trafficking ring.

No one, not even the blasé Faunus, could be _that_ calm given what was at stake.

Something was terribly wrong.

The group reached a distance of two miles from the target. Winter studied the warehouse.

As far as warehouses in Mistral went, this one was fairly average. If anything stood out about it, it was its location several miles out of the city and close to the forest so as to not be seen from the main roads. The place looked fairly empty. No one would be interested in checking out an abandoned warehouse out in the boonies. Certainly not Mistral's finest.

Winter knew better. It was the ideal location for a criminal organization to set up shop.

"Get into position," Adam ordered the White Fang, his voice a gruff whisper Winter had to strain to hear.

The group of White Fang assigned to the south side of the warehouse moved out. Winter watched them cover the two miles between the forest tree-line and the building stealthily and in virtually no time at all, sweeping across the distance like ghosts. She was impressed with the Faunus, and especially with White Fang. Always had been. They were extraordinary creatures and remarkable soldiers.

It was a shame their loyalties lay with a psychopath.

"Hold your positions. Wait for the signal." Adam instructed over the radio. To Winter, he grunted, "Come on."

Winter followed.

They traveled a distance of a mile before Adam suddenly picked up his radio and barked a sharp "Now!" into it.

The timing wasn't right! Winter eyes snapped to Adam. The Faunus stared straight ahead. Winter followed the direction of his stare, squinting to make something out of the darkness.

There. To the East of the building. Several large, dark objects were moving toward the warehouse. They were blacked out cars.

The two of them watched the vehicles grind to a halt at the warehouse. The doors were thrown open and out jumped a considerable number of goons.

Mere moments later, a barrage of gunshots.

Winter recognized the sound of Atlesian guns, their rhythmic, fully automatic rattle.

' _Not good.'_

She straightened out of her crouched position in the tall grass. No use hiding anymore.

"We can still salvage this, but we have to push forward now." She hollered over the noise.

"Negative."

"We have to get in there."

"Negative," Adam insisted. "Our goal is to ensure the information the journalist has does not make its way into the hands of the Atlesian government."

Adam spun around, swinging his katana in an arc. The goon attempting to attack him was decapitated. His lifeless body fell to its knees before tipping over on its front. Winter made a face at the corpse. How did they find them so fast?

Winter peered into the forest. Were there Atlesians there? If that was the case, it could only mean one thing; their mission was compromised. The traffickers found out they were coming. If so, there was a mole in the White Fang or in the Faunus Equality and Liberation Movement. Someone in a position of power or at least someone who was here now.

She looked at Adam, swallowing down the accusations burning the tip of her tongue. This was neither the place nor the time.

"How do you plan to accomplish your mission without the journalist? He's still inside."

"We terminate the compromise."

"The 'compromise' is the traffickers. How long do you think it will be before Atlas shows up?"

Winter sensed someone sneaking up on her. She ducked just as a bullet whizzed by her head. She threw herself onto her back, raised her pistol, and fired off three shots.

The first bullet caused the assailant to scream, the second dropped her to her knees. The third found its home between her eyes.

Winter frowned at the dead woman. She wore an Atlesian military uniform. Couldn't be more than 18 years old. What was Atlas thinking training teenagers as soldiers? Turning children into murderers. Again.

"Tell me this isn't a set-up!" She said forcefully.

Adam didn't answer, silently watching the chaos unfold.

The other Faunus units emerged from the tree-line and converged upon the humans from different directions. The immediate area around the warehouse was a war-zone. About a hundred Faunus and White Fang fired on some 50 humans. Smoke bombs were being launched into the air. Flash grenades went off sporadically, blinding both sides. Pepper-spray rounds were blowing up in Faunus' faces, incapacitating them. The Faunus may have numbers on their side, but the traffickers had military-grade weapons. Faunus were fast, just not as fast as bullets.

Winter never made the mistake of believing this was going to be an easy fight but this was unpredictably bad.

"We're moving forward. We're here to extract Zwei Rose and bust up this trafficking ring. Retreating is not an option."

A sharp, metallic chink paralyzed her.

She found herself staring at Adam as he towered over her, the blood-stained edge of his blade lightly kissing the skin of her throat. She blinked at the weapon, then glowered darkly at the Faunus. His beady eyes were cold and calculating, unblinking behind his ivory mask.

"Don't forget who is in charge here." She muttered, voice low and threatening. The blade bit into her skin as she spoke. She forced herself to take a slow, controlled breath despite her instinctive need to panic and flee the deadly weapon pressed against her throat.

"You won't hurt me,"

She truly believed that. She hated to admit it, but if Adam wanted her gone, she'd be gone. The same went for him—if she wanted him dead he would be 6 feet under by now. They were both that good.

One wrong move, though, and she'd be losing a lot more than her cool.

Adam's gaze shifted from her. His katana stubbornly remained. "Just watch."

"I can't exactly do that with your sword on my neck," she snarked.

"Sure you can."

Winter swallowed. She delicately turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the warehouse where Adam's attention was focused.

"Every civilization before ours was built on the blood and tribulations of the one before it. The foundation of our existence and success is not built on stone, it's built on the bones of the dead. Freedom isn't free, and these Faunus are willing to pay the price if it means their children and their children's children will no longer suffer. They're proud to die for their cause."

Winter felt suddenly sick.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Adam ignored her. He was doing that a lot tonight. ' _Arrogant prick_.'

The familiar, low buzz of an airship, along with a change in pressure in the atmosphere yanked her head skyward.

The plane drifted into view, its blurry shape gradually sharpening to hard lines, straight edges and solid color. She narrowed her eyes at the familiar logo of the White Fang on the underside.

"What is that airship doing here?" She bayed. "Adam! What the hell—"

The high-pitched whistle of falling objects was deafening. A heartbeat later, the ground shuddered beneath Winter's feet. Adam withdrew his sword just as Winter lost her balance and fell forward, narrowly avoiding impaling her. Winter used the momentum to dive headlong past him and roll onto her feet.

The blast shook the world. It was blinding, disorienting even behind closed lids; the boom- earsplitting. And then there was the heat from a wave of chemical fire. The screams came a heartbeat later. They rose above the din of the fire, above the random bursts of gunshots, and above the sound of Winter's pounding heart and ragged breathing.

She looked over her shoulder. "Oh, fuck," she hissed, horrified. The nausea that had been building in her stomach overwhelmed her, acid in her throat.

The entire warehouse, what was left of it, was on fire. Faunus and humans alike were on fire. They were screaming, running and flailing, none of them with the presence of mind to stop, drop and roll, far too overwhelmed by panic and pain. More agonized howls came from inside the warehouse. There were at least 200 Faunus inside.

They were all going to die. _If_ they weren't already dead.

Winter clenched her hand into a fist, pivoted on the ball of her foot and swung at Adam's head.

The nimble Faunus side-stepped her wild swing, at the same time there was so much power behind her hook the momentum threw her off balance. Without adjusting her stance, she stepped closer to Adam and threw another punch. This time she clipped his shoulder. He grunted, allowing the force of her blow to spin him around. At the end of the spin, he jumped up into the air and grabbed the back of her head all in one flowing motion. He brought his knee up.

Winter couldn't evade it or block it, her center of gravity still off. A whole galaxy exploded behind her eyes as his knee connected with her nose. Mind-numbing pain followed on the heels of a sickening crunch. Winter reeled, staggered by the vicious strike. She pawed at her face; blinked the tears out of her eyes; snorted and spit out the blood and snot pouring from her nose into her throat.

Finally, she fell hard on her ass with a garbled cry, stunned and blinded. She braced her arms in an X in front of her face to protect herself from another blow.

But Adam didn't strike again. He simply stood there, watching her- she could feel his eyes on her.

It seemed like forever before her eyes stopped watering enough for her to see. Barely. She staggered to her feet. Adam watched her every move like a hawk. Her ears buzzed. Her head felt far too heavy on her shoulders. Blood flowed freely from her nasal cavity into her mouth.

"Fucker," the word dribbled onto her chin.

He got her good. Too good. Unless it came down to fighting for her life, she was out of commission.

"It's time we left."

Winter ignored him and stumbled a few feet toward the warehouse. Adam made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

…The thing about light? No matter how small it is, it can be seen for miles. Winter stared, awed by the size of the fire. It lit up the night sky. It _seemed_ as if heaven itself was burning. Even from a distance, the heat was oppressive. And the smoke- she felt it curling in her lungs, trying to rob her of precious oxygen.

"Do you hear that?" Winter stabbed a finger in the direction of the fire. "Your people are screaming. They're begging. They don't want to die, I don't care what you say. We can still save them."

"We did what we came here to do."

"Adam!"

He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Schnee, let's go."

He was infuriating! Winter launched herself at him. He wasn't able to contain a look of surprise when she danced around a snap kick aimed at her knee and grabbed the lapels of his black coat. She yanked him close, close enough to see the pores under his eyes oozing sweat.

' _Even the most cold hearted bastard sweats in hell,'_ she thought.

"We're. Not. Leaving. Them."

…She wished he would say something or attack her. Anything. Anything to block out the tormented cries of the dying. Anything to distract her from the revolting smell of burning flesh carried on the gentle Mistral breeze.

His silence tormented her.

"You son of a bitch!" Winter roared, bloody spittle catching on her lip, and spattering Adam's face.

Adam was unfazed. He glimpsed at her hands then met her disparaging glare with a cool look of his own. Very slowly, he raised his hands, placed them over hers and pried her stiff fingers from his coat.

He took a step back and stared at her.

"It's time to go," He repeated. "Come with me or stay here and die. I don't care either way, _human._ " Emphasis on the word human. Spoken with undiluted hate.

He walked away.

Winter watched him, distraught. How could he be so callous about his own people? She looked up at the sky.

This was not the way tonight was supposed to play out. When Salem told her of the opportunity to free Faunus and humans who had been enslaved by traffickers, she was delighted to jump at the chance. It had been so long since she went on a mission that actually did some good, for a change. The thought of saving lives instead of taking them had done wonders to lift her spirits, dampened by the savageries she saw committed each day. The fact that Zwei Rose, a man considered to be the free voice of the Faunus, was among the victims was just a bonus to her. Her goal was saving those prisoners, those average, everyday citizens who decided to do something extraordinary and stand up to their persecutors.

The day started out perfectly, too. The sun was shining. A nice breeze was blowing. The temperature was perfect—not too hot, not too cold. Ideal for a rescue mission. Winter didn't believe in omens. She wasn't superstitious like that, but if she had, then she would have taken the gorgeous weather and slow start as a good sign.

She'd spoken to Weiss the night before. Her sister was coming around, finally seeing this war for what it really was—a way for powerful, deluded men to keep making money. Soon, Weiss would be at her side. They wouldn't have to sneak around to see each other anymore. She'd yearned for her sister's company for so long. Things were finally starting to fall in place.

Winter flinched.

No one ever expects for things to go this horribly wrong. A situation can change so quickly. She'd gone over all the logistics, went over any and every possible worst-case scenario. She'd forgotten life's greatest lesson. Never fool yourself into thinking you're in control. You can only do so much, strategize so much. Prepare so much.

The rest of it?, It kind of just happens.

Winter grit her teeth at the roar of a fleet of airships rising over the clamor of the battle. The Atlesian cavalry was coming. Just in time to spray the surviving members of the White Fang with bullets. Not in time to save any of the Faunus trapped in the warehouse.

Winter resigned herself to the Faunus' fate. She realized there was nothing she alone could do for those poor souls trapped in the fire, and even if she called for help it would come too late.

Time to take her leave.

The ground shook beneath her feet- the aftershocks of smaller explosions inside the warehouse as the flames reached machinery, weapons. Chemicals. The traffickers' cars parked nearby. The heat of the fire licked at her back. She could feel her skin blistering beneath her jacket.

"What was the damn point?" She asked herself, tearing through the grass, arms pumping madly at her sides.

Behind her, screamed orders were followed by slamming doors and squealing tires. The remaining humans were making their escape. The roar of their cars' engines steadily faded into the night. The fucking traffickers, what was left of them, were getting away. There was nothing could be done to stop them.

Why? Why was it evil people fared better than good people? Why did those criminals get to live while people like Zwei Rose, people like her brother Whitley, were brutally murdered?

Winter was beginning to fear she'd never hear an answer could soothe her anguished soul.

She caught up with Adam a dozen yards out. He spared her a quick glance before sprinting away. Winter coughed, the short amount of time breathing in the smoke was enough to irritate her lungs. She was also winded from the run and having to breathe through her mouth. Her heart rate was jacked up from all the adrenaline and anger. Winter feared she might implode.

She tore off after Adam again.

As they moved further from the incident, the dying Faunus' bleating faded, lost to the distance, and to the roar of the blazing inferno. Overwhelmed by the deafening warble of propellers of Atlas airships. Soon the dying cries of over 300 Faunus (including the hundred or so White Fang and rebels who volunteered for the mission) and some thirty humans (the others escaped) were nothing more than a haunting memory, echoing boundlessly in Winter's mind.

Their airship was waiting for them in a clearing 8 miles out, where they'd been dropped off. Adam walked inside and headed to the cockpit, presumably to deliver orders. Winter dropped into the nearest seat, leaned over her lap, and covered her face with shaking hands.

…How many people died tonight? How many more would die before this thing was over? Winter wasn't sure she could endure much more of this.

She cursed silently under her breath as she leaned back and studied the blood on her hands.

She was jostled as the airship lifted off the ground. She grimaced, the sudden jolt aggravating her broken nose. _'I'm going to break his whole damn face,'_ she thought darkly, tenderly probing it. Tears sprung to her eyes. _'And not just for the nose.'_

"I was under the impression you were an excellent soldier. I may have been mistaken."

Adam was sitting in a seat in the row across from her. She didn't even hear him come back. He was infuriatingly light on his feet. Like a cat. Winter hated cats. They were arrogant assholes, and far too sneaky and shady.

"I was under the impression you weren't the rabid animal everyone said you are. We're both disappointed."

Adam didn't flinch.

"I did what I had to do to make sure the mission wasn't a complete failure."

"If you knew the mission was compromised, why did we even go through with it? We could have left it for another day. We could have saved those Faunus."

"We couldn't leave it for another day. Those traffickers were there to move them whether we showed up or not… I don't owe you any explanations, but I didn't know the mission was compromised until I saw the cars. The strike was a contingency plan. Nothing more."

" _Nothing more_? You killed almost 300 of your own people. Do you feel nothing?"

He muttered something under his breath. Winter didn't quite catch it. "What?" She snapped.

"When you get in a fight you want to go about it in the smartest way possible. You want to be efficient. You strike hard. You strike smart. You hit your opponent where it will do the most damage. You find a weakness to exploit, or you create a weakness to exploit. And then you hit them. Again and again. Bruise them. Break them. Make them bleed."

Adam continued,

"Sometimes your opponent will be… difficult. Like those Atlesian soldiers. Even my White Fang. What's the one certain way to bring someone indestructible to their knees? You take away who or what they love the most."

Winter bit her lip. Her hands were shaking again. This time from the amount of self-control it took to hold herself back. It was taxing. How would it feel to punch right through Adam's skull, she wondered.

"This game is best played by hurting your opponent as much as possible. You wear them down then take them out. The next time you encounter an opponent, don't be afraid to bring them to their knees."

Winter scoffed.

"You didn't hurt your opponent tonight. You hurt _your own people._ All you accomplished here was to disrupt and demoralize Faunus-kind _._ And that wasn't a fight. That was a cheap shot. You're a coward."

It was unsettling to see something other than a scowl or tight-lipped frown on his face. Adam looked… smug. Winter narrowed her eyes at him.

"If I was human, you'd say I was a tactical genius." He accused.

"Let me tell you something _genius_ ; when this war is over, _you're_ the one I'm bringing down to your knees."

Adam pointed at his nose, provoking her. "You're certainly welcomed to try."

The taunting curl of his lip made Winter see red. But she didn't rise to the bait. He wasn't dealing with some hot-headed juvenile he could goad into a fight, he was dealing with a deadly operative. One who earned a reputation as formidable as Atlas' Grimm. One who didn't lack reasons to want to put him in the ground.

He seemed to finally remember those facts. The arrogant look melted right off, replaced with the severe expression he was known for.

"I didn't come here to kill my people but they're dead now. All I can do is make sure their deaths weren't in vain. I _will_ make sure Faunus-kind hears about this. They will know the truth."

All the pieces of the puzzle finally fell in place. Winter laughed, the sound sharp and ugly. She guessed a long time ago where Adam was heading with this, but having him confirm it-

"Fuck. You really are a coward… You're going to blame the deaths of those Faunus on the humans."

Adam smoothly stood up. His hand fell on the hilt of his sword. The warning in the gesture was clear—don't even think about interfering.

"Humans locked them in that warehouse, not me. Yes, I _am_ going to blame the humans for their deaths. Because it _is_ their fault."

"They may have loaded the gun, but _you_ pulled the trigger, _Adam_."

"Semantics, _Winter._ "

Winter's shoulders fell. Someone once told her the smartest thing she could do was not waste her breath or effort arguing with a person who determined not to change their minds. Not arguing with Adam on this point, however, felt like defeat. The things he was doing didn't just affect him, they affected the whole world. What was she supposed to do? Let him keep slaughtering innocent people? Let him drag everyone down to hell with him?

"So you're going to tell the world your version of the truth."

"It _is_ the truth. These deaths- they will inspire the Faunus to fight." He looked at her with a knowing expression, as if he could read her mind and wanted her to know it.

Winter scoffed. She didn't understand Adam. She didn't understand her father. She didn't understand this fight. No matter how many justifications, no matter how hard or often they all tried to rationalize it, nothing could justify all this bullshit.

"An eye for an eye and soon the whole world is blind."

"Just as well. It's very difficult for the blind to kill each other."

"You're going to bring down the whole of Atlas on the Faunus people. Innocent people. Kids. Babies. They're going to die."

"No, you can thank your father's Grimm for their deaths."

"Huh. You're not a revolutionary. You're just another selfish, bloodthirsty bastard who doesn't care who gets hurt or killed in the process of getting what he wants."

"That is an accurate description of your father."

"You're a devil just like my father. The only difference between you is you have actual horns."

Adam walked away, leaving her to stew in her thoughts.

It was an excruciating flight home.

When they arrived at Salem's mansion, Winter blew past her guards and made a beeline for her chambers. Salem was a creature of habit. Winter knew sure as the sky was blue Salem would be up driving herself mad worrying about her.

...Someone was standing in front of Salem's door. Winter instantly recognized the thin, tall frame. A growl vibrated in her throat. _'Another obstacle. Great.'_

"If it isn't Salem's favorite plaything. We missed you, darling. Oh, what happened to your nose? How many humans did you kill—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Winter roared at Salem's insane little pet, a galling hit-man named Tyrian.

For once he kept his big mouth shut. His expression did all the talking, all bulging eyes and snarling lips. He looked like a rabid dog on a chain dying to break free and tear her up.

Winter shoved him out of the way. He was too stunned by her uncharacteristic behavior to do anything other than stumble aside.

Salem was sitting in front of her mirror, brushing out her ridiculously long white and black hair.

She didn't flinch as her bedchamber doors suddenly burst open, or react to Winter's cursing as she stormed inside and kicked the doors shut behind her. Salem simply looked at the Silver-haired soldier's fuming reflection with a hint of sympathy showing in her red eyes.

"Zwei?" She asked.

A quick flicker of movement followed by the shattering of her vanity mirror was her answer. Salem scowled at the pieces of glass laying on the make-up desk and around her bare feet. Winter's pistol lay close by. Salem brows furrowed at it.

"This isn't like you, Winter. Losing your temper."

The silent implication was that she heard her scream at Tyrian.

"What do you know?" Winter's voice was flat, void of emotion. Salem knew from experience that's when the woman was most dangerous. A lecture would be pointless. Winter wasn't in a listening mood.

She sighed.

"What happened?"

"They're all dead. All the Faunus I was supposed to rescue; they're all dead now."

Salem carefully got up and tip-toed her way around the glass. She grimaced as tiny shards she couldn't escape embedded themselves in her toes. She finally cleared the mess and went to Winter's side. She had her back pressed to the doors. Her shoulders were tense. Scratch that. Her entire body was painfully stiff, and her breathing was ragged as it burst through her flaring nostrils.

Salem couldn't help but marvel at the furious heat in the woman's usually cold stare. An aggravated Winter Schnee was quite a sight to behold.

She placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, Winter."

"Sure."

"Hey," Salem raised her voice and injected just enough steel in it to be commanding. "Look at me," She said, tipping Winter's chin back with two fingers. "I know you. I know what you're thinking, but it's not your job to save everyone."

"Adam certainly made sure of that. I told you he was bad news. I should have done this alone."

Salem was at a loss for words. Nothing she said would comfort her subordinate. Despite her claims to the contrary, Salem knew Winter Schnee _far too well_.

Winter's stormy gray eyes strayed. "I let 300 Faunus die tonight. How can I ever live with that?"

"Winter—"

"I need time away, Salem. I need to clear my head. And I need to see my sister."

Salem stepped back, her hand falling limply to the side. _'You knew this was coming. Winter isn't like you. She doesn't belong here.'_

"Of course. Take as much time as you need. I'm sure Weiss will appreciate you making time to visit her."

"I can't believe this. The Faunus are killing just as many of their people as the humans. I can't tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys anymore."

"Good. That means you're growing up."

"How can you say that?"

Salem looked amused. Winter bristled at the sardonic lilt of her lips.

"The world isn't black and white. We're all monsters sometimes. Some of us just accept it more easily than others. The reason we're all monsters is we all do fucked up shit at some point. We all hurt somebody eventually. Even you. Even me. Adam. Your father. Your sister, Whi—"

"-I'll kill you if you say my brother's name. I mean it."

Salem met the wild gleam in the assassin's eyes head-on. Oh, she knew Winter meant it. The girl wasn't one to make idle threats.

"People will do the most twisted things. Especially if they think it is what is right."

Winter shuddered. For a very frightening moment, she could only hear the sound of her own panic as it rose in her chest. It sounded like her heart pounding out of control, and like a loud ringing in her ears. She swallowed, licking her lips in a vain attempt to get some moisture going in her suddenly bone-dry mouth. She understood now.

" _You_ ordered the airstrike, not Adam."

"Adam is not a bad man. He wants to end this war. Same as me. Same as you."

"I'm nothing like you! Did you ever intend to save those Faunus?"

Salem sighed. There was a sad, somber look in her tired eyes. "If I never see you again, I'll understand."

Winter felt raw. As if all her skin had been scrapped off. She felt betrayed in the worst imaginable way.

"You're a hypocrite like everyone else."

"That's the one thing I can't accuse you of. You're too virtuous. Your kind are a rare breed. "

"Your kind are not." she shot back. "You're just like Jacques."

Salem flinched. Winter didn't hold her father in very high regards. For her to compare her to him… _She goes for the throat, that girl._

"You're an excellent soldier, Winter. I have no doubt whatever you do will be for the good of human and Faunus kind. I know you'll disagree with me, but if there's anyone who can clean up this mess and make us all the better for it, it will be people like you. Hopeful. Idealistic."

Winter shoved herself off the doors. She closed her eyes and willed her voice not to tremble and her expression not to betray her. She was not easily broken. But today…

"I'm leaving, Salem. I'm not coming back."

Salem dropped her gaze to the floor. "As you wish," she said around the knot in her throat.

She flinched as Winter blew out of her chambers as violently as she'd come in. ' _Gone without so much as a second glance or a goodbye.'_ The immediate urge to go after the young woman was almost too much to bear.

But she couldn't.

"It's for the best. The work that needs to be done to right our wrongs sometimes requires your very soul. Winter wasn't willing to give hers up."

"I wouldn't ask it of her," Salem muttered, staring longingly out the door. "She was bleeding. Someone hit her…"

"That expression on your face is frightening." He cleared his throat. "Salem," Said in a way so as to grab her attention, intended to distract her from her no doubt murderous thoughts.

She exchanged a look with the man standing on the veranda. The moon's pale light gave him an ethereal glow as if he'd walked out of a dream.

' _Or a nightmare.'_

"This is almost over."

Salem shook her head. "What would our people think if they saw us together?" She wondered.

A chuckle. It was warm, much like the man himself.

Unfortunately, his warmth did little to ease the bitter cold deep inside of her.

"I'd wager they would just about lose their minds."

"Why? Because our kind hate each other? Because we're enemies? Why?"

"I—" He struggled to find the right words, and the right way to say them. Eventually, he sighed. "Yes."

"Because some fools decades ago decided so, and everyone just goes along with it. But you and I personally—do we have any reason to be enemies other than 'that's the way it's been?'"

He tsked. "No. We do not. And neither do those children."

"You and I keep messing up and those children are the ones left to deal with it. We give them war as an inheritance and hate and cruelty as their legacy. We keep creating problems and expect them to fix it. We become angry when they can't. How is that fair?"

"It isn't."

Silence.

Then,

"You did good letting go of Schnee. We need her hands to be as clean as possible when this is all over. She'll be a good leader."

Salem allowed herself a brief, self-indulgent smile at his indirect compliment. "She'll be a _great_ leader _…_ I just hope she and the others will forgive me."

Ozpin sighed. He walked to Salem and slipped his arm around her tiny waist. He pulled her into his side just as she began to lean into him.

"Maybe they won't. But what we're doing for them will be worth it. I promise you that."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?"

Ozpin thought for a moment. His thin lips pressed into a microscopic frown, forcing the lines carved around his mouth to feature prominently.

"Not in the least." He decided.

* * *

 **An: *Le Gasp!* Who has questions? Ask and ye shall recieve ;)**

 **Also, shout out to those of you who have taken the time to review. That was very kind of you, and it's very motivational. I appreciate it! I hope to respond to your individual reviews soon.**


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